1. Field of the Invention
The present invention illustrates a memory cell, and more particularly, a memory cell with different program and read paths for achieving high endurance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Non-volatile memory is a type of memory that retains information it stores even when no power is supplied to memory blocks. Some examples include magnetic devices, optical discs, flash memory, and other semiconductor-based memory topologies. Non-volatile memory can be categorized in electrically addressed systems (i.e., read-only memory) and mechanically addressed systems (i.e., hard disks, optical disc, magnetic tape, holographic memory, and such). Specifically, since non-volatile memory does not require its memory data to be periodically refreshed, it is commonly used for secondary storage or long-term consistent storage.
Generally, with advancement of techniques, a high density or high capacity-based non-volatile memory is required to facilitate big data accessibility. Since the non-volatile memory can perform read operation and program operation, endurance count is increased over time. In conventional non-volatile memory, when the endurance count becomes large, the transconductance degradation (say, Gm degradation) is severe, leading to erase current degradation (say, ERS Ion degradation). In other words, in conventional non-volatile memory, high endurance count causes ERS Ion degradation and thus decreases the sensor margin. As a result, operation performance of the conventional non-volatile memory is rapidly reduced over time.